Bracelet

A heavy gold band elaborated by colored stones and glass forms this massive gold bracelet. The bracelet was made in two pieces, which were then hinged and secured with a pin decorated with green glass. The edges of the gold band are folded outwards at a perpendicular angle, forming a ledge that served to protect the stones. Blue, green, and red glass; emeralds; and now-missing pearls were placed in pairs in simple gold settings around the bracelet. The contrasting colors anticipated the Early Byzantine interest in polychromy. The bracelet was unusually heavy and probably was not very comfortable to wear.

The shape of the bracelet is Roman, yet there is something distinctly non-Roman about it. It resembles jewelry made on the edges of the Roman Empire, which merged Roman and native tastes.